Analysis of A Matter Of Degree
Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis 1876 (Auburn) – 1938 (Melbourne)
B. SMITH would most undoubtedly be very, very cross
If some rude person called him Jap, and yet, I'm at a loss
To see how he could argue otherwise in that respect:
A Jap is human - or a rumour's rife to that effect.
And he talks and argues much the same as B.
So, if SMITH is not a twin
To his cherished Yellow-skin,
Why it's only just a matter of degree,
Just a trifling little matter of degree.
Now, a Jap is not a monkey. though he's oft compared with such,
And he doesn't look unlike one, so it hardly matters much.
A monkey has a fearsome phiz, and hands that grab at things,
And he imitates his betters - all of which the matter brings
To a very clear conclusion, seems to me,
Which you cannot fairly funk:
If a Jap is not a monk
Ey, it's patently a matter of degree.
And we needn't mind a matter of degree.
Of native monkeys hereabout, of course, you haven't heard;
And a monkey's not a native bear, which, clearly, is absurd,
And yet, a bear clings to a tree with young bears on its back
(My word! we're getting on a rather interesting tack)
Yes, it clings there like the cheerful chimpanzee.
So, if monkeys are not bears
So, overlooking certain petty matters of degree,
We are forced to these conclusions with undoubted certaintee:
B. SMITH'S a Jap, a Jap's an ape (according unto SMITH),
An ape's a bear, a bear's a bunyip, and the last's a myth!
It's as clear as any argument can be
That if our dear friend SMITH
Is not a simple myth
It's an unimportant matter of degree,
Quite a microscopic matter of degree.
Scheme | AABBCDDCC EEFFCGGCC HHIICXCBJJCJJCC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11110100110101 11110111011101 1111110100101 0111010111101 01101010111 1111101 1110101 11101010101 10101010101 101110101110111 011010111110101 01010101011111 01101101110101 10101010111 1110101 1011101 11100010101 01101010101 1101010111101 00110101110101 01011101111111 1111010101001 11111010010 1110111 1100101010101 1111101010101 11010111010101 1101010100101 11111010011 1110111 110101 11001010101 1001010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,500 |
Words | 293 |
Sentences | 14 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 9, 9, 15 |
Lines Amount | 33 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 386 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 97 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:33 min read
- 124 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A Matter Of Degree" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/6153/a-matter-of-degree>.
Discuss this Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In